New Tools for Corporations to Protect Your Data.

March 27, 2015

So much of what we do is now online. We bank, shop, share information with others and much more while online. While the Internet can be beneficial, because we do so much on it, there is a lot of valuable information that is used on it, and therefore, information that can potentially be hacked. Knowing how to keep your identity secure online can be very difficult. In 2014, the US director of national intelligence stated that the breach of online systems and theft of valuable information online was the number 1 threat to America’s national safety. Cybersecurity was put ahead of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

Recently, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (the research agency of the Pentagon) showcased their latest cybersecurity system, which they are calling Plan X. This new type of cybersecurity uses a 3-D graphical touch interface that displays attacks on a network in real time. One of the biggest problems that networks, companies, and even governments are facing when it comes to cyber attacks is that more often than not, they don’t even realize that they have been hacked after the fact. By that time, much of the damage has already been done. With Plan X, it will allow the network to react in real time so the moment that they are being hacked, they will know. This will now allow for the system to fight back, which will significantly decrease the chance of the hackers being able to infiltrate the system. Meanwhile, Congress has also passed an act, which will help cybersecurity as well.

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act allows for federal agencies to be more effective in the development and implementation process of network security measures. The act promotes more enabling of real-time technologies such as Plan X, the sharing of potential cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities across federal, state, and local government agencies, and the opportunity to provide recommendations on security measures to governmental and non-federal entities. These are just some of the ways the US government is working towards more cybersecurity.